Jen Garcia

About Me

****Out on Maternity Leave until February 2019 ****

Hello! My name is Jen Garcia and I am a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Massachusetts. Thank you for taking the time to review my information as you look for someone who can support and connect with you. In my 11 years of practice, I learned a few important things:

1) yes, people want to know if you are qualified and experienced counselor
2) more so, people want to know if you will accept them for who they are - judgment free – and that you genuinely care
3) and lastly, they need to know their confidentiality will be honored

If any of those are questions that you have, and in an effort to answer them, allow me to discuss below (pick and choose what you’d like to know!)

1) I am an experienced therapist. I graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA with my Masters in Counseling Psychology where I interned at a rape crisis and domestic violence center. As I acquired the necessary experience to apply for independent licensure, I worked in juvenile detention, public schools, a therapeutic after school and an outpatient clinic. All of these sites had one specific thing in common: individuals experiencing the effects of trauma, including depression, anxiety and self harm. Trauma, and its accompanying complexities, is the focus of my work.

To that end, there are many therapeutic modalities I work within – cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, trauma informed work, motivational interviewing, etc. It is not the modality so much that matters to me but the match between client and clinician, modality and personality. I may be the “expert” in psychology but you are the expert on your life and we need each other to make the counseling process a success. Which brings me to #2…

2) Human beings are valuable - no matter where they come from, despite what they have or have not done and regardless of how they view themselves. A person's worth is not wrapped up in their history, their culture, race or gender (though those are important to understand), but rather an intrinsic worth given to each of us through the mere act of existing. It is not just my job to accept you where you are and help you get to where you want to be, it is also my moral imperative as a fellow human being.
I am not perfect at it (ask my husband – yikes) but I do genuinely believe in the value of human life. Your unique story, personality, likes and dislikes, dreams and visions are important.

3) Your secrets are safe with me, though I respect your process and your need to test the waters before fully engaging or sharing yourself. It can be anxiety provoking and scary to open up to a stranger. I will ultimately encourage you to share your secrets only because they can become so heavy, taking on a life and a power of their own. Our secrets can make choices for us that hold us back and as we share them with trusted others they begin to lose that power.
Hopefully this helps to answer a little bit about my experience and my values and personality. I am open to more questions and discussion if you need to – if so, please contact me!

Jen Garcia is a really, really good listener. This may seem like an automatic skill from a therapist, but I found that Jen specifically listens to not only what is being said but what is also unsaid. She can find the information in the in-between places and silences. She's quite intuitive in her practice, and I appreciated that aspect. She was extremely good at listening to me state a particular situation, feeling, thought, etc. and would relay it back to me in a way that felt humanizing and non-judgmental. Our entire time together helped to raise some necessary matters to the surface, which made me feel positive about my healing trajectory.

Written by S.A. on Oct 16, 2018 after counseling with Jen for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, family conflicts, and trauma and abuse

You can tell she actually cares about you, that she’s not just phoning it in with you but is actively present in every conversation. Jen is kind, supportive and authentic in a way that lets you be equally as real.

Written by M.E. on Oct 12, 2018 after counseling with Jen for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and trauma and abuse

Jen has been very understanding and calming during the very traumatic time Ive been having. I truly appreciate her knowledge and insights.

Written by L.A. on Oct 12, 2018 after counseling with Jen for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety

Jen is the absolute best! She is not only informative, patient, and supportive but she is also funny and helps to keep things in perspective. She also always entertains my wishes to only chat instead of talking on the phone, etc. I'm sure it's a harder form of therapy for her as she has to type everything out, but I appreciate it more than she will ever know! I came to BetterHelp because I wasn't comfortable talking on the phone or going in person to get therapy - I'm still getting used to the idea!

Written by K.E. on Sep 18, 2018 after counseling with Jen for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship, family, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related, parenting, and anger

I have had 2 live sessions with Jen, and numerous message sent between us. She responds in a timely manner and with information/feedback/ worksheets. She has been very helpful thus far and reassuring.

Your session is about to expire!

You will be logged out in seconds.

If you are in a crisis or any other person may be in danger - don't use this site. These resources can provide you with immediate help.